The Fall of the Sun
by LovelyLunarDreams
Summary: Alternate Universe one-shot, where the elder alicorn gets banished. Celestia had a different reason for turning into Daybreaker. Fear and Mistrust had grown in her heart prior to her transformation.


One fateful night, Luna finished talking to one of her subjects in the last dream. She teleported to her room. Everything was the same. A large painting of the Royal Sisters sat above her black dresser. A vanity stood next to her ponykin. On the vanity, there were special possessions from when she was a little filly; dolls, a telescope for stargazing, and a moon phase necklace that Celestia gave to her as a birthday gift. In the midst of the calmness, she sensed that something was off. Maybe it was just the result of passing by Celestia's door in the dreamscape. She took in a deep breath. Just because they had an argument the other day didn't mean that Celestia would go off the edge... right? The moon illuminated the swirls and curves on the silk violet curtains. Then, out of the blue, an unmistakable glow emerged from the horizon.

Luna cantered to Celestia's room. The door was wide open, and she crept inside. A diary had been left open on the golden nightstand. As she read the pages, a ball of dread formed in her heart. Based on the connotation of the words, she figured that Celestia had been dealing with a specific fear. What was going on? She trotted to the balcony, where the two sisters usually moved their respective planets. The elder alicorn stared at the sky. Her horn glowed an eerie shade of orange. The aura was on the cusp of turning red. A cold breeze howled past them.

"Celestia? What troubles you?" Luna asked.

"There is a reason you joined me on this balcony," Celestia said, and the rays of light penetrated the darkness. Inch by inch, the sun slowly descended into the sky.

"What's the reason? This isn't like you." Luna shook her head. "Please don't break the balance."

A dark chuckle escaped Celestia's mouth. "Balance? Who needs balance?" She had yet to meet Luna's gaze. The sun appeared larger than normal.

Luna stepped closer. "Equestria needs balance. Don't make the mistake of-"

Celestia whirled around. "Stand down from the throne! I don't need you to rule by my side. Equestria doesn't need the wickedness of night!"

Luna's heart ached. She thought she heard her heart shatter into a million pieces. Since when did Celestia believe that lie? They needed each other, just as the day needed the night. And yet Celestia said this to her? Before she could respond to Celestia's declaration, a wall of flames engulfed the elder alicorn. She jumped back. If she hadn't moved an inch, the flames would have scorched her. What she saw next horrified her.

Celestia's body was undergoing a transformation. Her teeth transformed into fangs, her wings grew sharp edges, and her regalia was replaced by red-orange armor. The flames died down, revealing a fiery mane in place of her multi-colored locks. Her eyes were no longer magenta, and neither did they convey her usual benevolence. Rather, her eyes signified a malicious heart. The sun had finished its rise into the sky. There was no moon or stars.

"Am I not elegant and powerful? Is my sun not glorious? Now the ponies will appreciate my light even more," the mare spoke in a voice that wasn't Celestia's.

"Celestia, bring down the sun. The ponies need their rest," Luna replied. Her calm voice masked the turmoil inside her heart.

"You're only a princess with no importance to Equestria. Therefore, I don't have to bow to your orders. I am Daybreaker, the Queen of Flames. Your royal duty is to... give up your position!"

"Tia, listen. You're not cruel and heartless. The ponies still love you more. They trust you with their lives, and if you continue being this way, you will betray their trust. Months ago, we overcame our differences concerning my night. You don't need to transform just to appear more important and powerful."

Daybreaker narrowed her eyes. A ball of magic emerged from the tip of her horn. "You can't convince me otherwise. As I've said, I'm the more beautiful and powerful version of Celestia."

A guard approached them, and when his eyes landed on Daybreaker, he gasped. "Celestia, is it you?"

Daybreaker bared her teeth. "Let me deal with my traitorous sister. Now scram!"

Luna wasn't sure if she should gather the Elements of Harmony. This was the opposite of how her sister would behave. Celestia wasn't cruel to other ponies. Nor was the elder alicorn a tyrant. She dashed to one of the rooms, where the Elements were being held. She retrieved the Elements. All around her, the glass windows shattered. Flames licked the tapestries and the carpet. Smoke clouded her vision as she shielded her mouth with a hoof. Daybreaker landed in front of her, as though determined to end her life. She soared to the red skies. The air shimmered with heat.

"Cowardly much? You're not putting up a fight," Daybreaker taunted. "Where are you going?"

"I don't want to hurt you. Also, I'm not a traitor. I won't transform into my alter ego. I'll always be a loyal sister and ruler," Luna said.

"Those are mere words, Lulu. While you were wallowing in jealousy months ago, I was being a good sister. Guess it's not enough for me to be kind, is it? I will obliterate you!"

Luna summoned a magical shield. "Dear sister, why are you like this? Reconsider your actions. Back when we had to resolve our differences, I was going through a dark time in my life. I don't want you to make a mistake that you will regret."

Daybreaker shot a fiery beam at Luna, but the lunar alicorn countered the beam with her own. The two magical auras shoved back and forth. As the bright flames inched closer to Luna's body, she summoned the rest of her power. Tears streamed down her cheeks. What was a younger sister to do? She couldn't lose her elder sister. She had no idea how she would share the terrible news to the citizens of Equestria. She sensed the proximity of the flames. Realizing that her contemplation was causing her defense to dwindle, she refocused her magic on this battle. A fireball took her by surprise, as it crashed into her. She plummeted to the ground. One of her wings ached due to being crushed between her body and the ground. She panted as she rose to her height. The elements were scattered around her. A silver glow enveloped the six gems.

"Too weak to continue?" Daybreaker jeered.

"Daybreaker, let go of Tia," Luna replied.

"No. Give up your crown. I'm the true ruler of Equestria. You're nothing to this land!" Daybreaker's eyes and horn glowed. "I shall eliminate you!"

Luna levitated into the air and arranged the Elements in between the two sisters. "Tia... I'm so sorry, but I must do this. You are the only family I have left..." As she spoke those words, her heart ached. "And now, we'll have to spend a thousand years apart..."

A rainbow beam surged toward Daybreaker. She summoned a fiery shield, yet it wasn't effective against the rainbow beam. The beam shoved her farther away from the Earth. By the time the beam disappeared, there was a shadow on the sun, and Daybreaker had disappeared. As Luna feared, her sister wasn't released from the wicked mare of flames. She lowered the sun into the horizon. As the moon rose into the sky, the temperature cooled around her. A powerful wind extinguished the fires. Tears blurred her eyes as she collapsed to the ground, sobbing.

For a moment, Luna had a vision of a group of mares who would use the Elements to save Celestia from Daybreaker's grip. The vision gave her a bit of hope. But a thousand years without Celestia? How would she handle this? Public speaking and politics weren't her strong points. Perhaps she would grow used to it in time? She looked to the skies again. This time, she was too drained to shed more tears. She glanced at the ruins. The effects of Daybreaker's destruction was evident. The gardens were turned to ashes. Tapestries had been burned to a crisp. The fallen structure seemed to reflect the divide between two sisters.

Luna stepped into the ruins. Even in the faint moonlight, she could see the ashes and soot. At least the guards had escaped. She galloped to her room and gazed at the bare wall, where the painting once hung. A pile of ashes had been strewn across the dresser. What was it that caused her sister to snap? Fear of being overthrown? Celestia had no reason to fear those things, yet the lies had taken root in the solar regent's heart. Just how manipulative was Daybreaker? Did the mare of flames latch on to Celestia's more vulnerable moments? Despite the grief caused by banishing her own sister, she knew she would see Celestia again someday. In the meantime, she would sing a lullaby to her sister to ease the loneliness.

_The years, before us... _

_Fearful and unknown..._

_I never expected to spend them without you..._

Luna gathered her possessions. She would go live in Canterlot. But first, she wanted to spend a few minutes in Celestia's room. She trotted to the other room and gazed at the empty bed. If it were not for Daybreaker being a nuisance, Celestia would have been sleeping here instead. She crept toward the bed, then pulled the blankets closer to the pillows. "Tia, if you can hear my words, don't lose the remaining light you may have in your heart. Remember the bond we have as sisters. For me, ruling alone may be frightening, but I'll be strong for you and for Equestria. Farewell, dear sister... May your dreams be sweet tonight..." After she finished speaking, she left the bedroom.


End file.
